Middle school students across Milwaukee County are sending a complicated message: school often feels like a lifeline, but anxiety, depression and basic needs issues are still hitting hard. New numbers from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, given to sixth through eighth graders during the 2024–25 school year, show classrooms functioning as both safe havens and ground zero for serious social and emotional challenges.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, more than 13,100 students responded across the county, including over 9,200 from Milwaukee Public Schools. Eighty-six of 125 public middle schools countywide and 72 of 82 MPS middle schools took part. Roughly half or more of students said they had significant problems from anxiety or long-lasting sadness in the past year, about 52 percent countywide and 53 percent in MPS. Symptoms of depression were reported by about 32 percent of students across the county and 34 percent in MPS. The reporting also notes that 36 percent of county students, and 39 percent of MPS students, said they experienced hunger in the past month, while roughly 30 percent of county students and 38 percent of MPS students reported being in a physical fight on school property. Statewide YRBS results are expected in late August.
Mental Health In Context
Those local numbers line up with broader patterns the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has highlighted. Recent statewide YRBS summaries describe rising anxiety, depression and unmet emotional health needs among students. DPI materials also emphasize that YRBS data are a routine guide for school mental health programming and prevention work, turning survey responses into blueprints for what support should look like on campus.
Support Networks, Big Gaps
There is some good news hidden in the stress. About 80 percent of county middle schoolers, and 77 percent of MPS students, said they have at least one supportive adult other than a parent. Roughly two thirds reported having a teacher or staff member they can talk to when things are rough. At the same time, only about 59 percent of students across the county, and 54 percent in MPS, said they feel like they belong at school. Around 61 percent countywide, compared with 58 percent in the district, said their teachers care about them. That split suggests students may trust individual adults, yet still feel disconnected from the school community as a whole.
What Schools And The County Are Doing
Milwaukee Public Schools lists the YRBS as one of the ongoing surveys used to steer risk reduction efforts and federal Project AWARE funding applications, linking these data directly to district level programming decisions. Milwaukee Public Schools and Milwaukee County officials point to efforts such as county trauma teams and the Credible Messengers mentorship program as part of the answer to violence, mental health struggles and food insecurity. Advocates argue the latest numbers show those supports need to be expanded and better coordinated before students stream back into classrooms this fall.
For now, the YRBS offers a detailed snapshot that district and county leaders can use to target resources and shape policy. Families, educators and policymakers will see a broader statewide picture once DPI releases the full YRBS tables later this summer.
